In a world geared towards dragging-and-dropping and using a mouse to control most computer functions, it is easy to forget some basic Windows keyboard shortcuts. These small combinations of keystrokes when used at the right time can significantly simplify several different Windows tasks. Here we look at 8 easy, often forgotten Windows Keyboard shortcuts to boost your productivity.

Recently I was modifying a number of items in an online database for an email list and was not able to use drag-and-drop to move data around. Then I remembered CTRL-X, CRTL-C, and CTRL-V and it dramatically simplified the task. If you are relatively new to computing you may not even be aware of these controls. But if you lived through the Late Triassic Period of Computing when beasts like MS-DOS, CP/M and WordStar roamed the world you may remember how necessary keyboard controls once were.

Three Simple Cut and Paste Windows Keyboard Shortcuts:

Start by using your mouse to highlight the selection or text you want to copy or delete.

• Copying: Hold down the CTRL (control) key and press the letter “C”  — this will Copy the highlighted selection to the clipboard.

• Deleting: Hold down the CTRL key and press the letter “X”  — this will Delete the highlighted selection and move it to the clipboard

• Pasting: Place your cursor in the appropriate place, hold down the CTRL key and press the letter “V” – this will paste the copied or deleted selection where your cursor is located.

<Ctrl> – C – Copy the highlighted Selection to the clipboard
<Ctrl> – X – Delete the highlighted Selection and move it to the clipboard
<Ctrl> – V – Paste the cut or copied Selection

Five Other Keyboard Shortcuts Worth Remembering:

<Ctrl> – A – select the entire current document or web page
<Ctrl> – Home – Move the cursor to the beginning of the document
<Ctrl> – End – Move the Cursor to the end of the document
<Alt> – Tab – Switch between open Windows
<Windows Logo Key> – D – Show the Windows Desktop

Some other Keyboard Shortcuts for other programs

Be sure to check out our other K eyboard Shortcutposts to help improve your productivity with Internet Explorer, Firefox and Gmail :

• 35 Internet Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts
• 30 Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts
• Gmail – 45 Timesaving Keyboard Shortcuts
• Chrome Browser Shortcuts

Another keyboard shortcut using the Windows Logo Key

Most Windows keyboards have a Windows Logo key normally located to the left of the Space Bar. To quickly show the Windows Desktop simply hold down the Windows Logo key and press “D”. Pressing this combination a second time brings back all the open windows. This can be a real time saver if you regularly have several windows open. More about the Windows Logo key in a future blog post.